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Readying for Day One of E3 2013
The first offical day of E3 has arrived with the show floor opening up at noon PT for six hours. Sports games readily available to play will be Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, NHL 14, and NCAA Football 14. Behind-closed-doors presentations for next-gen versions of Madden, FIFA, NBA Live 14, and EA Sports UFC are also expected but only FIFA has been confirmed to be playable.
Make sure to follow on Twitter for coverage from the show floor. I’ll be sending out nuggets of information, pictures, and vines throughout the day. After getting back to the hotel I’ll be able to start answering questions, writing up impressions, and uploading the gameplay videos. Thankfully where I’m staying has excellent internet but even still those will take some time to upload and process so please be patient.
Yesterday was eventful with the Microsoft, Sony, and EA press conferences delivering a ton of news and first looks at upcoming next-gen games. Check out the recaps of the events and sports game trailers that debuted at them:
Recapping the Sony Press Conference and NBA 2K14 Trailer – First Madden NFL 25 Next-Gen Screenshots and Features Detailed – Recapping the EA Press Conference and Madden, FIFA, NBA Live, UFC Trailers – Recapping the Microsoft E3 Press Conference
The evening was closed out with a live hangout discussing all the news of the day. In that you’ll also get to see me struggle with the Youtube feature that is supposed to show the videos for the entire audience – instead you’ll just see me watching the trailers that should have been on screen for everyone. That’s awkward but thankfully each trailer was only like one minute each.
For those in the market for the new consoles and next-gen games Amazon has them up for pre-order. The PS4 is shaping up to be the no-brainer here for both the general gamer audience and sports gamers. Pre-orders on Amazon are not charged until the item ships so if you change your mind on any of them they can be cancelled without penalty up until they do.
♦PlayStation 4
♦Xbox One
♦Madden NFL 25: PS4 – One
♦FIFA 14: PS4 – One
♦NBA Live 14: PS4 – One
♦EA Sports UFC: PS4 – One
♦NBA 2K14: Not yet available for pre-order -
Recapping the Sony E3 Press Conference; First Look at NBA 2K14 Next-Gen
Sony opened their press conference with discussion on upcoming releases for the PlayStation Vita and PS3. Attention then turned to the PS4 which is definitely being pushed as a gaming platform as opposed to Microsoft who made gaming seem secondary until their presser today.
The actual console was finally put on display and after getting sidetracked on movies some exclusive games were announced like The Order: 1886, updates on the games shown at the event back in February were made, and a number of exclusive independent games had stage time. They also announced a new partnership with Bethesda for an Elder Scrolls MMO. The “Cloud Service” will launch in 2014 and provide access to PS3 games through Gaikai streaming.
The big news hit at the end with Sony announcing they would be placing no restrictions on used games and won’t be requiring online check-in. Gamers can now look to the PS4 as the most inviting console and home for where they buy third party games. Sony will also have a pay-for online service that will be less than $5 a month and include cloud saves, online multiplayer, discounts on games, and access to early betas. Just a massive move made by Sony today.
The PS4 will release this holiday season for $400. It is now up for pre-order at Amazon. Go get it and lets make the PS4 the dominant sports gaming console!
2K Sports appeared late in the show to debut the first look at the next-gen version of NBA 2K14. Sony needed the game to counteract the perception Microsoft has attempted to build that the Xbox One will be sports-central (despite Microsoft’s apparent lack of an MLB game). Brief footage included some on-court action and LeBron James talking to his digital representation. It wasn’t much and it was quite awkward looking but was drawn from the game and not CGI. Continue on to check out the video and leave all your thoughts in the comments! Read more
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First Madden NFL 25 Next-Gen Screenshots and Features Detailed
EA Sports has provided more insight on what to expect from the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Madden NFL 25 launching in November alongside the new systems. Earlier today they discussed improvements to line play and Adrian Peterson as the cover athlete then showing off a trailer but the details now provided are much more substantial.
The new information relates to the visuals, player motion system, reactive AI, and atmosphere. There will be more to come than just this of course but the focus for now is on the tech and what the new systems offer the game compared to the current generation. Check out the first next-gen screenshots in the FB album and continue on for the feature descriptions! Read more
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Recapping the EA E3 Press Conference; Next-Gen Trailers for NBA Live 14, Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, and EA Sports UFC
The Electronic Arts press conference has just wrapped up and the company showcased games like Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, Titanfall, Need for Speed Rivals, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mirrors Edge 2, and Battlefield 4. EA Sports of course though dominated a section of the show with next-gen versions of Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, EA Sports UFC, and NBA Live 14.
For Live 14 the game will feature a new dribbling system called “bounceTek” which releases the ball to physics. Stat and roster updates will occur every hour after a game ends – targeting one area of weakness with the competition in the post-release support area.
Madden NFL 25 will have offensive and defensive line play re-written from the ground up. Adrian Peterson is the cover athlete for the Xbox One and PS4 version. Check out the cover art here.
EA Sports UFC will release next spring and only two of the eight promised features were discussed: MMAi and full body deformation.
Continue on for the full trailer for Madden, FIFA, UFC, NBA Live shown at the event and leave your thoughts in the comments! Read more
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Recapping the Microsoft E3 Press Conference
The press conference today for Microsoft delivered a number of announcements and game reveals with many of them being exclusives. Before getting to the Xbox One the company showed off a redesign for the Xbox 360 that is available beginning today – styled similar to the One and smaller/quieter than the current 360. They also revealed that Xbox Live Gold will include two free games a month (until November) such as Fable III, Assassin’s Creed II, and Halo 3 making it similar to the popular PlayStation Plus service for a limited time.
Moving on to the Xbox One trailers and demonstrations for exclusive games included Ryse: Son of Rome, Killer Instinct, Sunset Overdrive, Forza 5, Project Spark, Halo, Dead Rising 3, and Titanfall. Enhanced SmartGlass capabilities were also shown off. Xbox Live will no longer have a cap on number of friends and MS points will be no more.
In what will be of great interest to sports gamers a Game DVR feature will record footage, Upload Studio will allow for editing and sharing in the cloud, and live broadcasts will be capable through a partnership with Twitch. Both Xbox One and PS4 then essentially deliver spectator mode for all games and ability to share highlights.
The Xbox One will launch in November for $500. Amazon now has it for pre-order. They also have some EA games up for pre-order and at $60 which is an indication prices may not be going up despite the rumors.
Going in to the event anything changing the general sentiment towards the Xbox One seemed unlikely. The entire focus was on games and game-related services today however which could resonate with many. What did you think of the press conference and has it altered your plans or consideration on purchasing an Xbox One?
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Readying for Day Zero of E3 2013
E3 unofficially begins today with the major pre-event press conferences. Anticipation is exceptionally high with the new generation being a heavy focus – whether it be for the exciting aspects or dreading the direction the industry appears now to be headed. Read more
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2K May Be Working on Golf Game
2K Sports may have a golf game in development based on the recent registration of a domain by Take Two. The domain, 2KGolfLinks.com, was registered last month and spotted first on Twitter before reaching NeoGAF.
Though Take Two has made past statements regarding their desire to avoid paying for licenses – which was of course followed by obtaining the WWE license and then re-upping MLB 2K for a year – with golf there is no need for an expensive payout rather smaller negotiations taking place on an individual basis for courses, gear, and any professional golfers.
Should this be a console game it would be the perfect time to enter the market with the Tiger Woods series taking a year off in 2014. However it’s important not to jump to that conclusion as it could also be a social or mobile project.
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The Line Drive for June 9
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Make sure to get your entries in for the NCAA Football 14 giveaway!
♦With E3 now just hours away make sure to be following on Twitter and Facebook!
♦Kotaku mentions that Jay-Z isn’t involved with NBA 2K14.
•Here is the official cover art for NBA 2K14.
♦The official Prima strategy guide for NCAA Football 14 includes an Ultimate Team pack.
♦A new EA Sports blog for NHL 14 talks more about the new fighting system.
♦EA Sports released a teaser trailer for the UFC presentation to come on Monday.
♦The 14 course pack DLC for Tiger Woods 14 is half off ($20) on Xbox 360 from 6/11-17.
♦Another brief trailer talking Connected Franchise mode in Madden NFL 25.
♦EA Sports released a new blog regarding precision movement in FIFA 14.
♦New screenshots have been added to the FB album for FIFA 14.
♦Verizon expanded/extended exclusive license mobile streaming w/ NFL for $1 billion.
♦Here’s a video showing off the five helmets Indiana will wear this season.
♦Tiger Woods 14 standard edition is available for $40 at Amazon.
♦MLB 13: The Show on PS3 is available for $40 at Amazon.News and content that may have been missed from the last week around the site.
♦DVD/Blu-ray Releases This Week. Headlined by Oz, Snitch, and Hansel & Gretel.
♦Benicio Del Toro Cast in Guardians of the Galaxy. Signs multi-film agreement.
♦Dan Harmon Returns to Community. Fired creator/showrunner now re-hired.
♦Trailer for The To Do List. Comedy starring Aubrey Plaza.
♦Trailer for The Family. Crime-comedy starring Robert De Niro.
♦Trailer for Getaway. Thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez.
♦Trailer for Orange is the New Black. The next original series from Netflix.
♦Amazon has the complete series of The Wire on DVD for just $80.
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